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Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay Series: Dexter Published by Orion Publishing Group on September 7th 2010 Genre: Crime Fiction Format: Hardcover Pages: 350 Challenge Theme: The next book in a series you started Buy on Barnes & NobleBuy on Amazon

Synopsis:Dexter Morgan’s happy homicidal life is undergoing some major changes. He’s always live by a single golden rule – he kills only people who deserve it. But the Miami blood-spatter analyst has recently become a daddy – to an eight-pound curiosity named Lily Anne – and strangely, Dex’s dark urges seem to have left him. Is he ready to become an overprotective father? To pick up soft teddy bears instead of his trusty knife, duct tape, and fishing wire? What’s a serial killer to do?

Then Dexter is summoned to investigate the disappearance of an eighteen-year-old girl who seems to have been abducted by a bizarre group…who just may be vampires…and – possibly – cannibals. Nothing like the familiar hum of his day job to get Dexter’s creative dark juices flowing again. Assisting his bull-in-a-china-shop detective sister, Deborah, Dex wades into an investigation that gets more disturbing by the moment. And to compound the complication of Dexter’s ever-more-complicated life, a person from his past suddenly reappears…moving dangerously close to his home turf and threatening to destroy the one thing tat has maintained Dexter’s pretend human cover and kept him out of the electric chair: his new family.

From an uncharacteristically racy encounter in the Florida Everglades to the most bizarre fringe nightclub in the anything-goes Miami scene, Dexter Is Delicious is an ingenious journey through the dark recesses of Dexter’s lovably cold soul.

Review:
So this Dexter novel was definitely better than the last two but still didn’t blow me away. I did like the main story about the vampires and cannibalism. It was the first time the book felt like it focused on the police case more so then on Dexter. While I did enjoy more details about that I didn’t like the reason why. Dexter has a baby and all of a sudden he is no longer a killer? That is the dumbest thing ever. I mean I read that and was seriously annoyed. So much so that I thought I would hate the book. Luckily the other story was good enough to keep my interest and the end had me back on board as far as Dexter goes. I am still baffled as to why the books and show are SO extremely different aside from the first book. Not sure why Lindsay would be ok with the television producers taking that much liberty with his work. If I didn’t have this thing with finishing book series I probably would have stopped after book 3 but I am going to see it through until the end. Since the books are so different from the show I am actual curious with how Lindsay will end the series.

Favorite Quotes:
“Have you noticed how difficult it is just to get along in the world? If you’re no good at all in your job, people treat you badly and eventually you will be unemployed. And if you’re a little better than competent, everyone expects miracles from you, every single time. Like most of life, it’s a no-win situation. And if you dare to mention it, no matter how creatively you phrase your complaints, you are shunned as a whiner.”

“They like to tell us that it is important to speak the truth, but it has been my experience that real happiness lies in having people tell you what you want to believe, usually not the same thing at all, and if you have to stub your toe on the truth later, so be it.”

Synopsis:The macabre, witty New York Times bestselling series (and inspiration for the #1 Showtime series, Dexter) continues as our darkly lovable killer matches wits with a sadistic artiste–who is creating bizarre murder tableaux of his own all over Miami. After his surprisingly glorious honeymoon in Paris, life is almost normal for Dexter Morgan. Married life seems to agree with him: he’s devoted to his bride, his stomach is full, and his homicidal hobbies are nicely under control. But old habits die hard–and Dexter’s work as a blood spatter analyst never fails to offer new temptations that appeal to his offbeat sense of justice…and his Dark Passenger still waits to hunt with him in the moonlight.

The discovery of a corpse (artfully displayed as a sunbather relaxing on a Miami beach chair) naturally piques Dexter’s curiosity and Miami’s finest realize they’ve got a terrifying new serial killer on the loose. And Dexter, of course, is back in business.

Review:
I have started to notice that the further I am getting into this series the harder the books are to review. They all have the same sort of premise, nothing new to really review each time. I will say this book was definitely better than the last one, thank goodness. It still was a little too far fetched for me but at least it was more realistic than the last one. I have to say I don’t remember the TV series that well but I feel like aside from the first book these other books are NOTHING like the show. It seems that all the show took were the character names and the fact that Dexter was a serial killer that only kills bad guys. Maybe I just don’t remember the show but I feel like I am accurate in my thoughts. I’ll have to go watch the show again to know for sure. The TV show seems heads above the books which is unusual for me to think. I am halfway through the series so I am of course going to finish but I really thought I would enjoy this series more than I am.

Favorite Quotes:
“Why bother inflicting enormous pain on yourself when sooner or later Life would certainly get around to doing it for you?”

“Dying makes everyone weaker, subject to painful insight, and not always insight into any kind of special truth – it’s just the approaching end that makes people want to believe they are seeing something in the line of a great revelation.”

“I don’t know if you have noticed this, but it is quite possible for two human beings to have a conversation in which one or both parties involved has absolutely no idea what they’re talking about.”

“And as we should all know by now, anytime you predict failure you have an excellent chance of being right.”

Synopsis:In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds…particularly because, on occasion, he rather enjoys committing them himself. Guided by his dark Passenger – the voice inside him that helps stalk his prey – he lives his outwardly normal life adhering to one simple rule: he only kills very bad people.

Dexter slides through life undetected, working as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, helping his fiancee raise her two adorable (if somewhat…unique) children, and always planning his next jaunt as Dexter the Dark Avenger under the light of the full moon.

But everything changes when Dexter is called to a gruesome double homicide. Dex realizes he’s dealing with someone a whole lot more sinister than he is and it sends the Dark Passenger into hiding. And when something scares your friendly neighborhood serial killer, you know it’s serious…

More used to inspiring fear then experiencing it, Dex must investigate, while simultaneously coping with is demanding family. If he’s to save himself, and those around him, Dexter must pose questions he’s never dared ask – where does evil come from, and does it hide inside everyone…?

Review:
Of the three books that I have read in this series this is my least favorite BY FAR! I really did not like the concept of this story, especially compared to the first two. It veered waaaaaaay of course. The idea of Dexter’s Dark Passenger leaving him and then the mythical story line of Moloch it was just way too far fetched for me. I liked the first two books (and the TV show) because they are realistic, this book was just too out there. Not to mention nothing exciting happened. I was very disappointed. I am hoping book #4 is better.

Favorite Quotes:
“Nothing in life is fair. Fair is a dirty word and I’ll thank you not to use that language around me.”

“In my life long study of human beings, I have found that no matter how hard they try, they have found no way yet to prevent the arrival of Monday morning. And they do try, of course, but Monday always comes, and all the drones have to scuttle back to their dreary workday lives of meaningless toin and suffering.”

Synopsis:He’s a charming monster… A macabre hero… A serial killler who only kills bad people.

Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. It’s just not easy being an ethical serial killer – especially while trying to avoid the unshakable suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes (who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac…which, of course, he is). In an attempt to throw Doakes off his trail, Dexter has had to slip deep into his foolproof disguise. While not working as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his cheerful girlfriend, Rita, and her two children, sipping light beer and slowly becoming the world’s first serial couch potato. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade and let his inner monster run free?

In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami – a man whose twisted technique leaves even Dexter speechless. As Dexter’s dark appetite is revived, his sister, Deborah (a newly minted, tough-as-nails Miami detective), is drawn headlong into the case. It quickly becomes clear that it will take a monster to catch a monster – but it isn’t until his archnemesis is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds him first…

Review:
Like the first book in the series this one was entertaining enough. I don’t know if I would like them as much had I not already seen the TV show and loved that so much. Lindsay’s writing isn’t that strong and he tries to fit a lot into a book so he skips over needed details. I enjoyed the story in this book better than the first. If you are a fan of the show I would say the books are worth reading. I plan to read the rest of the series and then I want to go back and re-watch the show. I would give this one a 3.5 like I did the first book.

Favorite Quotes:
“Of course, having information to use is one thing. Knowing what it means and how to use it is a different story.”

“The key to a happy life is to have accomplishments to be proud of and purpose to look forward to, and at the moment I had both. How wonderful it was to be me.”

“It’s an odd term, girlfriend, particularly for grown persons. And in practice an even odder concept. Generally speaking, in adults it described a woman, not a girl, who was willing to provide sex, not friendship. In fact, from what I had observed it was quite possible for one to actively dislike one’s girlfriend, although of course true hatred is reserved for marriage.”

Synopsis:Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened — of himself or some other fiend.

Review:
I absolutely loved the show Dexter, well aside from the finale but we won’t get into that. I had no idea that the show was based on books! When I was researching books based in my hometown (for my reading challenge) these books came up and I knew I wanted to read them. I figured if I loved the show I would love the books. Books are always better right? I have to say I liked the book but I prefer the show. Maybe it is just because I loved the show so much and I adored Michael C. Hall as Dexter. When I was reading the book I was trying to remember the sequence of the show and if one book was a whole season or just a couple episodes. It made me want to go back and re-watch it because I couldn’t figure it out. I already have the second book on hold at the library so I will definitely be reading the entire series. I have to say the show did a great job of staying very true to the books, at least so far.

Favorite Quotes:
“Weren’t we all crazy in our sleep? What was sleep, after all, but the process by which we dumped our insanity into a dark subconscious pit and came out on the other side ready to eat cereal instead of our neighbor’s children?”

“I’m not sure what I am. I just know there’s something dark in me. I hide it. I certainly don’t talk about it, but it’s there always, this Dark Passenger. And when he’s driving, I feel alive, half sick with the thrill of complete wrongness. I don’t fight him, I don’t want to. He’s all I’ve got. Nothing else could love me, not even… especially not me. Or is that just a lie the Dark Passenger tells me? Because lately there are these moments when I feel connected to something else… someone. It’s like the mask is slipping and things… people… who never mattered before are suddenly starting to matter. It scares the hell out of me.”

“Whatever made me the way I am left me hollow, empty inside, unable to feel. It doesn’t seem like a big deal. I’m quite sure most people fake an awful lot of everyday human contact. I just fake it all. I fake it very well, and the feelings are never there.”

“Anybody can be charming if they don’t mind faking it, saying all the stupid, obvious, nauseating things that a conscience keeps most people from saying. Happily, I don’t have a conscience. I say them.”

“I think people understand things different when they get older. It’s not a question of getting soft, or seeing things in the gray areas instead of black and white. I really believe I’m just understanding things different. Better.”